The Spring Semester schedule will be condensed with no breaks other than three “Health Days.” As campus administrators have said, Health Days are meant “to provide space for our community to take a break, take a breath, and rejuvenate themselves -- in body, mind and spirit -- during the semester.” Although administrators have urged professors to enable students to use them for their stated purpose, it is up to each professor to make that a reality. We appreciate the College’s policies to support students during this challenging year, but three days off to prevent burnout during a pandemic at one of the most rigorous institutions in the country is not enough. 

The Williams Student Union urges professors to commit to the following rules–advocated for by Dean Sandstrom in her 1/19 letter–to empower students to truly use the days as needed:

• Assign no work 24 hours before the Health Day
• Make no due dates within 24 hours after the Health Day
• Share your pledge commitment with students by including Health Days in your syllabi
• Balance assignments holistically across the Spring Semester 

We ask students, alumni, staff, and community members to sign this petition urging professors to take the pledge to preserve Health Days, which we will present to faculty when asking them to sign the pledge. It is ultimately up to students how to use these days, but professors have the power to enable students to make that decision for themselves.